What's a Drink Between Friends?
by blckrbbt
Summary: On route to meet the Inquisitor, Cullen stops by the shores of Lake Callenhad and has a drink with an old friend. Cullen/Lavellan


_Hey guys, it's been a while. I won't give you any excuses except for life got in the way and inspiration for A fox a Board and Some Stones has not hit for a long time._

 _Faris Lavellan is a ice/knight enchanter with skin tanned from the sun and dark red hair that is shaved on one side. She is morally just but is a cruel interrogator_

 _Asche Surana is a blood mage/spirit healer/arcane warrior and is mostly morally right but manipulative. She has dark skin with light dalish tattoos and white hair perviously in short mini ponytails and currently with long straight hair in a loose braid._

 _This may tie in with a future fanfiction that is already in the works._

 _Dragon Age © Bioware_

* * *

 **What's a Drink Between Friends?**

 _This place hasn't changed at all._

The man thought as he gazed at the tavern before him. To his side was the shore of Lake Calenhad with the silhouette of a large tower in the middle of it. The full moon made the tower look weary, as though ghosts and demons would flood out of it's few windows and strike at him and the unknowing people in the tower. Even now the very sight of Kinloch Hold chilled him to the bone. It had been over 10 years since he even set foot near the cursed place which now housed the revitalized circle of mages of Ferelden. Memories of the atrocities he had to endure during his time there trudged up a dull ache in his head, but no longer caused him to break into a cold sweat. He had learnt to come to terms with what had happened thanks to his efforts with the Inquisition. Most particularly with the inquisitor herself.

Faris Lavellan. His lover and his solace in the chaos in his life.

Warmth spread through his chest at the vision of her soft hair and the mischievous glint of her sunburst eyes. This washed the pain caused by sight of the forsaken tower from his chest and he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned back to the tavern which emitted warm light and and the hearty voices of its inebriated patrons. He was dressed in a simple white shirt, leather pants with old leather boots. A loose cloak was draped over his shoulders to stave away the brisk cold of the autumn and it's cool breezes. None here would recognize him as the Commander of the Inquisition's forces.

He stepped onto the tavern's porch and let himself in through the doorway. None paid him any heed as the mood was lax and many of the patrons were heavily drunk. He scanned the room just as a group of farmers in the corner started laughing boisterously. The face he searched for wasn't present.

 _She must be running a bit late. I may need to stay for the night._

Faris was returning to Ferelden by boat and should have arrived to the port nearby. They were going to meet here and return to Skyhold together. It was a rare time when he could meet her like this outside of Skyhold and they treasured every moment of them. For now he resigned to sit at the bar and hope that she would appear soon. He had preferred to sit at a table, but the tavern was full of farmers that returned from their daily duties.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked as he polished a pint.

"I will have a te-"

"We'll both have a pint of ale please." The feminine voice interrupted him. He raised an eyebrow as a cloaked woman came to sit beside him. A dark hand dropped some coins on the counter as the bartender slid them their drinks. The sound of metal clinking against the stool alerted him to a sword at her side. He placed a hand on the pommel of his own. The woman took her drink and threw back her head in a generous swig. The mug clanked loudly as she placed the drink back on the counter and she turned her head to look at him. Her large hood obscured most of her features except for her seemingly glowing silver eyes. His experience with Faris gave him knowledge that only elve's eyes glowed in low light. She was smiling at him.

He took a short sip of his mug as he eyed her suspiciously. "What's a handsome man like you..." Her grin widened. Her voice was youthful but the physical features of elves often obscured their actual ages. The woman vaguely reminded him of someone, but he couldn't place who. "...Doing in a place like this?"

He cleared his throat in embarrassment. She leant her chin into her hand.

"..I-I'm waiting for someone."

She giggled. "It seems that we have the same goal. I too am waiting for someone. Who is she?" This stranger's curiosity made him suspicious. He took another sip of his ale.

"I'm waiting for my wife." He said. She wasn't his wife yet, but he hoped that someday she was. There was no need for this stranger to know though.

"Ah, another coincidence I see." She took another long drink of her pint. "I am waiting for my husband. I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm sorry."

She held her hand out to him to shake. "My name is… Wynne."

While she seemed harmless enough, he allowed his posture to relax while still keeping a hand on his pommel. "Cullen." He said taking the offered hand and shaking it. They resumed drinking as he gave her sidelong glances.

"I'm curious Cullen." Wynne said. "Tell me about your wife. I want to know about the woman who was able to catch the eye of a handsome man like you."

He glanced at the door as if he hoped that Faris would waltz through. "No.. I'm alright."

Wynne frowned. "You are quite tense. It is quite all right Cullen. You can at least indulge a stranger especially after she has bought you a drink." At this she passed the bartender her empty cup and he quickly refilled it for her. "If it will make you feel better, I shall tell you about my husband."

He wasn't sure why she was telling him this.

"We did not have the most friendly of meetings. He hated me because of something he thought I did. He was very distrustful of me and I worked hard to make us friends. He is quite the brooder you see."

He never cared for gossip, but now he was genuinely curious. "What did he think you did?"

She heaved an exasperated sigh. "He thought I stole something from his family. They were well off you see. It wasn't true of course but he wasn't convinced. He is such a handsome fellow, it was wasted on his constant scowl."

She hummed wistfully. "He stayed with me to keep an eye on me and we ended up going through a lot together and becoming close friends. Over the years, I was hopelessly infatuated with him. His shoulders, his calloused fingers, his rare smiles, his even rarer laughs. It wasn't until a few years later that I finally grew some stones and confessed my love. It turns out that he was in love with me for a long time as well. And now here we are." She pulled out a chain from the depths of her cloak to show him a ring she wore. The band and jewel casing were polished silver and a small blue rounded gem that shone in a star shape as the dim light reflected into it. She quickly tucked it back into her cloak and grinned at him, one that radiated happiness. "I wouldn't be complete without him. I'm waiting for him to finish his work and we shall return home."

Her story put a small smile on his face and he thought of Faris. "My… Wife. We met after the Breach appeared." The defeat of Corypheus was still fresh news around Thedas. "We helped each other through those dark times and became closer. She was quite the flirt, but very free spirited. She tried to help as many people as she could but she's no push over. When people tried to take advantage of her, her wrath was more fierce than a winter storm in the mountains. We had both lost our way in the world with the Blight and the Breach and the Mage-Templar wars. If there was one thing about all of the chaos in world that I was thankful for, it was that I got to meet her." A big smile graced his features. "Her hair is the smoothest thing I have touched, her heart is the biggest I have ever known and the shape of her beautiful face haunted my dreams ever since I met her." Speaking of her only made him miss her more.

Wynne's silver eyes were trained quite intently to him, listening on his every word. The small smile on her face was very familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. "I'm sorry Wynne. Have we met before?"

Her smile fell into a relaxed line. Like she was reminiscing. "Perhaps Cullen? It is getting quite lively here. Shall we talk on the balcony?" They moved to bring their drinks outside just the crowd inside the tavern started cheering on a pair of boys dancing on a table. They sat together on the porch, settling their drinks beside them. She was on her third pint while he was very slowly drinking his first one. He knew he had low tolerance and he wasn't willing to pass out on the floor of the tavern anytime soon. He looked to the full moon and all of it's beauty as she spoke once more.

"Perhaps the reason you might recognize me is because we may have met in another life?" The cold of the outdoors was more apparent as she pulled her cloak more tightly around her.

"Another life?" He asked. "I don't really believe in such things."

"It's quite possible that we may have met in a life completely different from the one we know." She said, her face was also turned towards the moon. Or perhaps the dark tower below it? "We were speaking of the love of our lives a moment before. Shall I speak of a love I had in my past life?"

He considered listening. Why was he sitting here, with this stranger speaking of love? Perhaps the ale was affecting his caution. "Go ahead."

She gave a rueful laugh. "Once upon a time I lived in a tower like the one in the lake." He followed her gaze to Kinloch Hold. His suspicious mind would have gripped his sword in case she was a mage, but the ale mellowed him too much. He relaxed as she continued.

"I lived in a place where studying and learning were prized. However, I was an outcast with few friends. Despite this, my friends were loyal, my teacher named me his favourite student and everyday I had fun learning new things. There were these guards who watched us all of the time and I made a friend among them as well."

The former templar''s hair stood on end. She was definitely a mage. With his experience in Kirkwall and the Inquisition, he learnt not to jump to conclusions. Too many people died because too many templars jumped to conclusions. She hadn't even done anything yet. He decided to be cautious but continue to be civil.

"My guard-friend was shy but really kind compared to the other guards. He always helped when when he could and protected me from anyone wishing to do me harm. He was quite dashing and handsome. I used to daydream about what it was like to break the rules for once and kiss him."

For some reason he could feel a blush creep up to his ears. Hearing about girlish crushes made him feel uncomfortable.

"I was head over heels in love with him. The one time I tried to let him know about my affections, he ran away." She said laughing slightly.

He widened his eyes. This scenario was familiar. He looked to her and wished to see her face more clearly. Those silver eyes pierced through his memory. Wynne? He only knew of one Wynne and she was a senior enchanter at the Circle. He stood up from his chair and slowly circled her to try to get a better look at her. She met his gaze with wide eyes as she continued.

"I had to leave for some time, but when we met again, he tried to kill me. I left him to save the world." She stood up, her height barely meeting his shoulder and slid off the hood of her cloak. His throat caught and his eyes widened in shock. "The next time I met him, was many years later. He was married and looking to get drunk in a tavern in the country."

The cloak revealed snow-white hair and a forehead adorned with tattoos that resembled vallaslin. There were small scars that were on her face that didn't diminish her beauty. Hers was a face that despite being changed by time, was utterly recognizable to him.

"Surana?"

The hero of Ferelden smiled. "It's nice to see you again Cullen."

He backed away, his lower back hitting the railing that enclosed the porch stopping his retreat. "H-ow…?"

She laughed. It was like the sound of bells that he once loved her for. "I see you after 10 years and that's what you say?" She stepped towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have missed you dearly, Cullen."

"S-Surana…" He stuttered. She had reduced him to the nervous templar he once was in a second. She placed a hand on his cheek with an indulgent smile.

"You know my name Cullen. If you would use it, it would make me happy." She moved to sit on the railing beside him.

He cleared his throat and regained his composure. "Asche… How are you here?" He took her lead and leaned on the railing, gazing at her. She grew out her long hair and loosely braided it well past her waist. Her wide eyes from when she was an apprentice were slightly thinned from weariness and her face was more expressive. She was still as beautiful as he remembered. He immediately looked away in shame. It was true that he DID try to kill her, even when he felt so strongly for her.

"I am on my way back to Amaranthine. I was as Weisshaupt for a couple of weeks before it erupted into chaos thanks to the Champion. I was tired from my journey and decided it was time to come home." She said. An unfamiliar cheshire grin appeared on her face. "By 'wife', you mean the lady Inquisitor right?"

He sighed. "Leliana?" She nodded.

"She is a lucky woman to have you."

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly. He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. She placed her other hand on top of his.

"What for?" She asked.

It pained him to say it as he relived everything in his mind. He remembered everything. From the demons that killed his comrades and mages alike, to the image of her used by the demons to drive him to insanity. The biggest thing that stuck out in his mind however was the image of her. In his haze, he vaguely remembered her younger self kneeling behind the barrier that trapped him and pounding her fists at it, sobbing as he continued to insult her very existence as well as the broken look she had when she went to check up on him afterwards. She had smiled and said farewell and he never saw her again. That was his biggest regret in the world, that he was never able to apologize to her.

"What I did at the Circle… For what I put you through…"

"I have already forgiven. I had forgiven you the second it happened." She said simply. She let go of his hand and patted his head affectionately. She would have never done this in her youth. He pushed away her hand. "No Asche.. I hurt you. I allowed my fear against mages and demons get in the way of my gratefulness. I was happy that you rescued me but I cursed your life instead. If there's anything I can do…"

She placed a finger on her chin seemingly in thought. "How about this? When the world went to hell during the Blight, I still felt quite strongly for you, you know." A blush blazed across his cheeks. "How about you give me the moment that my past self always pined for but never had?"

He looked at her disbelieving. this wasn't the shy, squirrel-like mage that he loved before. She was never this bold or mischievous. Much must have happened to her to make her open up herself more. "I don't quite understand."

"I was a girl of 17 when I was conscripted to join the Wardens." She looked up wistfully. "Before that I was a love sick girl who hid behind Jowan and Amell and excelled more at hitting things than proper magic. I was in love with a templar who I knew would never share my feelings. All I wished for during my daydreams was a kiss." She gave him a sidelong glance at him with a smirk. He loosened his collar as his face heated up.

"You were wrong, Asche." He said without looking at her.

"About what?"

"About the templar not returning your feelings." Her eyes widened. "Once I was a boy, who wanted nothing but to help people and become a templar. Once he became a templar, he tried to guard mages with respect, which earned him disapproval from his peers. He vigilantly watched his charges when a young mage caught his eye. She had strange silver hair and a tattoo like a Dalish. She was being bullied by her fellow apprentices so he stopped it. From then on, they were friends. However, as he continued to watch her, he began to fall in love. When he stood for hours in one spot, he too daydreamed about kisses."

He looked at her face which had turned crimson. For once, it was HE who made someone blush.

"We-well ser templar. Would you care to grant an apprentice's daydreams? I know you're in love with the lady Inquisitor and I'm in love with my husband… But would you like to fulfil the wishes of a young woman whose dreams were taken by darkspawn? For the sake living her life without regrets… When it is over and done with, I will return to the one I love with all my heart, as will you." Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. She had dreamed an impossible dream in the past and it still haunted her.

He loves Faris with all of his heart. He loves and would spend the rest of his life with her if she would take him. But for this one moment, he can pretend that he still dreamt of living on a farm surrounded by his and Asche's children. He can pretend that he still dreamt of kissing that beautiful elven mage in the tower. He too had regretted not knowing how their relationship would have turned out had he not been bewitched by demons.

He placed a hand on her cheek and she nuzzled it. Tears streamed down her face and he brushed them away with his thumb. What would Faris think of him she knew he had kissed his former love? When she looked up at him with her crystalline eyes, he understood. They both needed to get past this. She offered him a solution and release.

 _I'm sorry, Faris._

He placed his other hand on her other cheek and lowered his head to hers. Her lips were soft and hesitant, as though she had regained the nervousness from their youth, but he pressed his lips to hers regardless. The moment felt as though they went back in time. When he cradled her head he felt the short locks from the past instead of the long hair she had. When she caressed his face, it was soft and without the hard lines that time gave him. There was unresolved passion and past longing in their lips that was finally coming to fruition. The wish of a future long unfulfilled finally came to its conclusion. When Asche put her hands on his chest to push her away, she could almost feel the cold hard surface of his templar armour. She softly extended her arms for the push and the illusion of their past selves dispersed.

They removed their hands from one another and slow smiles made their ways to their faces. Her eyes were still watery so she wiped them on her sleeve. His face turned crimson and he stepped back, running a hand through his hair. "H-How was it?" He asked her sheepishly.

She stared at him until her shoulders started shaking. Her bell-like laugh was loud and her entire body shook with the laughter until she leaned back too far and fell backwards off the railing onto the dirt. He jumped to action running to her on the other side of the railing to find her still laughing.

"I'm sorry if I was THAT bad."

"Nnn-No…" She finally collected herself and she took his offered hand and stood. She dusted off her cloak. "That was perfect. Thank you for indulging my selfish request." She had a bright smile for him.

"So that's what it would've been like." She said. A smirk graced her features. "No offense, but I much prefer my husband to you any day."

"And I to my wife." Cullen said laughing.

"But Lel said you weren't married to her yet?"

 _Damnit Sister Leliana._ "W-Well.." He brushed a hand through his hair once more. She put a hand on his shoulder and patted it.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it will go well. On my honour as a mage, arlessa and hero, I swear to you it will go well."

He rolled his eyes. "That really means a lot."

She stepped past him to stand in the entrance of the tavern. The glow from the light within made her silhouette look ethereal. "Well, it's getting late. If I don't return to our room soon, my husband will be curious."

"I need to meet this husband of your someday." He said to her with a grin that she mirrored.

"I'm sure he would love to meet you. He loves meeting my _friends._ " She emphasized the 'friend' in the sentence and he laughed.

"I guess we are friends then."

"Don't be a stranger."

"You should come by Skyhold. Leliana would love to see you again."

"I'm sure she will." She turned to enter the tavern before pausing. "...Do you regret it Cullen? What happened between us?"

He was about to follow her in when he stopped and placed a hand on the railing. "I only regret how it ended. Thanks to you now, I feel lighter. I feel I can devote everything to Faris."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "Good." She walked into the tavern where her cloak disappeared among the rowdy crowd.

As though it were a stroke of fate, he heard a familiar booming voice in the distance. "Hey Commander! Sorry we're late!" In the distance, he could see the light of Dorian's magical fire illuminating the dark path for his Inquisitor flanked by Iron Bull and Varric. Faris began to run in his direction and he responded by catching her in his arms. They ignored their companions who whistled and catcalled as the two lovers engaged in a passionate kiss. Varric wrote the scene down in a notepad he carried. When the kiss ended, he spun her around to her surprised glee and set her down. Her sunburst eyes with widened with mirth and she attempted to right her flowing dark hair. He gathered her in his arms once more.

"I know we missed each other Commander, but you seem more enthusiastic than normal." Faris asked. She searched his eyes and saw less of the darkness that usually haunted his thoughts.

"I met an old friend."

* * *

Asche closed the door behind her as quietly as she could and slipped her cloak overhead, taking care not to make too much noise as her gleaming armour clinked together. The room was dark so she hoped her husband had not woke up with the sound she made. All of her armour was almost off, she just needed to the a belt that kept her customized chain mail off when a gruff voice breathed into her ear from behind. She should've known better than to try and be stealthy around him.

"Welcome back my love."

"I'm happy to be back my love."

Deft fingers went to work on the last clasp and the chain mail slid off her body making a loud sound as it fell into a heap on the floor around her feet. She removed the leather parts of her armor while her husband went to work on assisting with the ties. When all was done, she stood there in a pair of black leggings and a brown tunic. She was about to make her way to the bed when the deft hands she loved pulled the tunic over her head.

"Nathaniel. It thought you were tired from writing those reports?" The rogue gave her a light push so that she sat on the bed as he peeled off her leggings. His hands moved up her thighs to wrap his arms around her.

"Another man has touched you. I think it's fair of your husband to cleanse you of his touch."

She pressed a long kiss to his cheek. His stubble tickled her nose. "Are you angry with me?"

He cupped her cheeks with his calloused hands and gave her a long, passionate kiss. When they separated, they rested their foreheads to each other. "I was for a moment. But I remember what you told me what happened at the Circle of Magi. I understand. But you must understand this; my pride as your husband won't let you off the hook so easily."

She drew back and probed his face with her eyes. Elves may have lost much of their abilities since Arlathan's fall, but they still retained their ability to see in the dark. She knew that Nathaniel knew that she could see him. His smirk excited her. "I'll have to punish you my dear." And with a giggle, he pounced on her.


End file.
